PDF: To Create Is To Resist

Stéphane Hessel was a diplomat who was also part of the French Resistance against the Nazis in World War II. He led a pretty fascinating life.

The full quote, "To create is to resist; to resist is to create", is from "Time For Outrage!", a pamphlet he published at the end of 2010 when he was 93 years old. It was a call for young people to fight injustice and it struck a nerve, becoming a surprise best-seller (3.5 million copies worldwide, translated into 10 languages). It also gave the name (Indignados) to the Spanish protest movement that started in May 2011 and later inspired other protests in many countries, including France, Greece, Israel, and the USA with Occupy Wall Street. He was also a fellow student of Sartre:

Sartre taught us, "You are responsible as individuals." The responsibility of a person can not be assigned by a power or an authority. On the contrary, it is necessary to get involved in the name of one's responsibility as a human being.

Other amazing facts about Hessel:- The characters in Jules et Jim were based on his parents. - His family was part of that magical era in France with Calder, Man Ray and others. Stephane learned to play chess from Marcel Duchamp!- He escaped from two different concentration camps.